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LOCAL AND GENERAL.

To-night the opening oonoert of the season takes plaoe at St Stephen's sohool.

The seoond logleside will be held m the Oddfellows' Hall to-night. The Taemanian offioial statistics show the total potato orop of that oolony for this year to have been ('6,721 Sons,

The ABhburton-Rakaia Football Club will play a matoh with the Ohrißt'n College Club, Christohurob, m the Ashburton Domain next Saturday afternoon.

A soratoh football match was played by moonlight last night between the Slar Club (late Apprentice), and the Rovers' Club, which after a nice game resulted m a win for the former by 1 goal.

The Bannookbum (Otago) Sshool Committee consists entirely of baohelors, and the Hon. Mr Fergus said m the House of Repraßentativea, that the School was one of the very best m the oolony.

To-morrow night Miss Mabel Sylveßter mokes her first appearance at the Rink, In the afternoon the Ashburton-Rakaia Football Club will play all-oomers m the Domain, and the RiuJ{ wiil be closed for preparations for tho evening's display.

Our parliamentary correspondent oorroots a telegraphio error m tha report of the debate m the House of Representatives on the Eight Hours Bill, whioh made it appear that Major Steward opposed the Bill. As a matter of faot Major Steward did not speak m the debate, but reoorded his vote m favor of the measure.

The Paula's aargo of wheat from Timaru is reported by oable to have been sold m London at 34s per quarter — 4a 3d per bushel* A oable yesterday reported the Bale of an Australian oargo at the Bamo prioe, andaLyttelton cargo at 33s lOJd. The South Canterbury wheat, then, seems to have fetched a good prioe as prioea go at the other side of the world.

At the meeting of the Sydenham Borough Oounoil held last eveniug, the Inapeotor of Nuisances handed m a speoial report on the premises of a dairyman (outside the boroußh), who had been supplying milk to several houses m whioh oases of typhoid fever had broken out. He found that the drainage from the premises was carried into a oreek, from whioh the oows drank at night. There were aIBO two oases of the fever m the milkman's house:

The cry from nearly all parts of the ITanawatu County is that, m oonaequenoe of the enormouß amount of flax oarting, the roadß are becoming impassable. One of the members for the Awahou riding alleged at the oounoil meeting that out Moutoa way it would soon be necessary to have three horses and a dray to oarry a basket of butter to market, and near Soott's Ferry there is a piece of road so quagmirish that it has been abandoned."

The Wakanui Presbyterians hold their annual tea meeting m the Sohoolhouße on Thursday night, when the many good things always found at these meetings will be provided by the ladies of the distriot. The public meeting afterwards will be addressed by the Rev P. R. Monro, of Sydenham, and several looal ministers. Several of the best musioianß and vocalists from Ashburton have promised contributions to the programme. Altogether the gathering promises to be very suooeseful.

A man writes to the Timaru Borough Counoil stating that on June 28 he had been employed to break ioe on the water-race m one of the flumes. To do this he used a 3 by 2 pine stick as a tool, and It suddenly breaking he wbb thrown off the flume into the gully severely spraining his foot. In consequence he had been unable to get about, and would not be fit for work for some time. He appealed to the oounoil to assist him, and enolosed a medioal oertifioate. The Oounoil deoided to enquire into the oase.

Some steps are to be taken by Parliament to remedy the unßOund state of those Friendly Sooieties iwhose condition was adversely oritioised by the Registar m a report whioh has oaused a good deal of oonsternation amongst those concerned. A questioner m the House was informed by the Premier that the Government are having a Bill prepared dealing with the BUbjeot. The question, was, however, one of suoh difficulty that he intended to, move for a Select Committee to advise the Government m reference to it.

Amongst the visitors present at the installation banquet last week of the Southern Cross Lodge of Oddfellowß, Wellington, was Mr E. Mason, RegUtrar-General of Friendly Societies, whose health was druok m bumpers. In proposing the toast it was explained that the oao Booioty whioh waß mentioned m the Regiatar-General's report as being thoroughly solvent was the Oddfellows, of whioh order the Southern Cross was the premier lodge. Mr Maßon responded m appropriate language, and promised at an early date to read a paper before the lodge on a subject of general interest to firiendly societies.

The Representation Bill provides maohinery for the election of seventy members (ezolußive of four Maori members , on the Hare system, the distriotß, with the number of members, being as follows;— The Northern J}istriot— Comprising the Auokjand Provinoiaipiatriot, sixteen mkmbers. The Central Diatriot Comprising the Wellington, Hawke'a Bay, and Taranaki Provincial Distriote, fifteen members. The Midland District— Compris. ing the Nolson, Marlborougb, Westland, and Caflterbury Provincial Districts, twanty-one members. The Southern Distriot—Oomprising the Otago and Southland Provincial Distriotß, eighteen members.

Th 6 " Rural New Yorker " has adopted the piotorial method of teaobing farmers some of the truths they ought to know. Beoently it published a oartoon whioh was regarded as applicable to farmers generally, A rough, unkempt fellow, who has labellod ?'Bad Farming," was engaged m the brutal pastime of murdering a beautiful woman, "Mother Earth," Three stalwart young fellows with olubß were depioted as ooming to the rescue of the beautiful damsel ; and their olubs ware lespeotfully labelled "Phosphorio Aoid," "Potash," and "Nitrogen." It was a picture wbiob embodied a great truth—- it may be iv Blight oarioature, bat still the trath.

A meteor is eometimes of some value. A oitizen of Oamaru, euspeoting that he was being assisted m the consumption of hia coal, determined to try and find out who was lending an unfriendly hand. Hearing a noiso m the direotion of his coal bio, he rushed out, but made sufQoient noise to give the thief a fair start. Just at the moment a meteor lit up the soene, and disclosed an individual with a bucket m his hand making progress along the road by "leaps and bounds." thlef^ no doubt MuspeotinK that four or five policemen nacf turned their bullreyea on him, awoke tq the qeoeaeity qf a more stupendous effort, and the owner of the coal, startled by the Budden display of light, stood atill to aaoertain the cause. The opportunity of catching the thief was therefore lostf

The outter Heather Bell left the Bluff yesterday morning (says tho << Southland Times" of Saturday) for the West Coast Sounds, She hits been chartered by Messrs Statham, Manton, and Sutherland, of Sydney, and kqos on a prospqoting expedition, Baid to be iv connection with the venerable wreok whiah lies at the entrance of Dusky Sound, and wbioh is supposed to have. treasure about her remains. Oaptoin Malcolm, who was one of the pair of prospeo.ors about whom there was so muoh anxiety a few weeks ago, aooompanies the party, and the Mr Suther. land mentioned is brother to the replijße of Milford Sound. The Heather Bell took a qonsiderable quantity of stqres, dynamite, and general putpt, alsQ a, ppraple^e diving apparatus and an e?perienoe4 diver from Sydney. The party expeot to be away three or four weeks,*

la the /Chairman's speech m moving the adoption of the report of the Ohriatohuroh 00-operativo Association on Saturday the following paragraph oooure : — During the year the Aihburton farmers Requested your Direotars to open a branch at' Aahbuvfcon. The Direotora are almost unanimously of opinion that this Institution should not develop branches. We can supply our goods to Ashburton .equally as well as we oan to Waikari, Oxford, or Amberley, and to open branches would uot conduce either to eoonomy m working or safety. It may bb yet shown that the Ashburton farmers are strong enough themselves to establish a similar Institution to oure, Thig would certainly be a satiefaotory solution of the question, and wo shall be very pleased to federate wlth'suoli an Assooiation m a manner similar to that now m force with the South Canterbury Asaooiation, \ think it will be admitted that tq work together Batißfaotorily Farmers' Go-operative Asstoia* tions, wherever they may be, Bhould, Qgt feg auanoiftily oooneQt^,

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